


Make Your Mark

by wasterella



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eren just wants to find his soulmate, Levi is in love and hates it, M/M, Making Out, Soulmates, very brief mentions of self-harm (burning - not depicted)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-09-30 22:03:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10173326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wasterella/pseuds/wasterella
Summary: Having a soulmate sucks the big one, especially when you specifically don't want one.Which Levi didn't. At all. Not even a little.Especially not Eren Jaeger. Nope.Definitelynot Eren Jaeger. That was just stupid.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Keyvvi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keyvvi/gifts).
  * Translation into Русский available: [Оставь свой след](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13728390) by [Riren_team](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riren_team/pseuds/Riren_team)



> I got it right this time! I got it RIGHT this time! MARCH 8TH! KEYVVI'S BIRTHDAY! BOOYAH! 
> 
> In a way, it's good it's March 8th because I was so tired yesterday I couldn't do more than post the new chapter, but today I was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed when I got home from work and while this isn't what I wanted to write you originally (other piece was WAY too long), I managed to get you something new and fresh for your birthday anyway :) I don't know how good it is, and for that, I am truly sorry, but I hope you like it anyway <3 
> 
> Someone told me you liked soulmate stories~ (It was you. You told me this.) 
> 
> SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEYVVI! MY SUNSHINE! LIGHT OF MY LIFE! ILY AND HOPE IT WAS AMAZING! <3<3<3<3 
> 
> Characters (c) Isayama Hajime

He remembered the day he’d first seen it. It had been back in his rebellious stage, when he hated everyone and everything and wanted to watch the world burn. He’d been sitting in his room blaring music, ignoring the angry shouting coming from downstairs that was the sound of yet another fight between his foster mother and her boyfriend.

He was so used to them fighting that he could usually even predict when it was about to get music worthy, and he’d have it blaring before the shouting started, drowning out their toxic words with death metal. These were different times, long before the man he was now.

Back then, this was who he was, and he remembered sitting in his chair, working on something mundane—probably Chemistry, fuck that class—and he’d noticed it when he’d gone to scratch his arm.

For a second, he wasn’t sure whether or not he was seeing things, but the longer he stared, the bigger it became until it was there, branded on his arm like a fucking life sentence.

His soulmate had just hit thirteen.

He knew it was his soulmate’s thirteenth birthday, because his had passed three years prior. There had been many studies into the soulmate marks everyone had on their bodies, and it made it exceptionally easy for everyone to know everything about them.

They always appeared on both individuals the day the youngest of the two turned thirteen. It was always on the right upper arm. Every single one was unique. There were no take-backsies.

His fucking soulmate was now thirteen, which meant some stupid shit was going to be looking to find their one true love, and him? No. He wasn’t into that. He would rather fucking _die_  than be saddled with that bullshit.

Sparing it barely a glance, he had immediately left his room, gone to his foster mother’s bathroom, turned on her curling iron, and promptly burned the stupid mark off his arm with much cursing and suppressed screaming. He’d only managed to get a portion of it burned off before passing out from the pain, but at least it was enough that he wouldn’t be able to have it registered at the Marks Bureau. He’d have liked to get more of it, but the woman taking care of him had found him while he was regaining consciousness and had hastily disposed of the iron.

Even twelve years later, at the very mature and not-going-to-burn-things-off-my-body age of twenty-eight, the mark was a lost cause.

He remembered what it looked like, vaguely. Sometimes he felt like other people’s marks influenced his memory, but for the most part, he felt like he could remember what it had been. If he ever met his soulmate and saw it, he would recognize it.

But he wasn’t an idiot. Nobody would ever be able to put up with him. Everyone had a soulmate, but that didn’t mean they were all _happy_  about their soulmates. Most people seemed to get involved with others because it was expected. Two people had matching markings? Might as well skip the dating and just get married.

He hated it. It was stupid, and took all the fun out of life. Wasn’t it more exciting to just look forever for a meaningful relationship and die alone in a house full of cats?

No. Overall, for as long as he could remember, he had hated that stupid mark. He hadn’t dwelled on it, or thought about it all that much, and most of the time, he pretended it didn’t exist. When people asked to see it, looking hopeful and excited, he would roll up his sleeve, and relish the look of horror and disappointment on their faces at the sight of the burned, mangled mess of a mark he had.

It wasn’t like he was unique. Many people had burned their marks off. Most of them still remembered what they looked like, but the people who died alone—probably being eaten by the aforementioned animals—generally died alone because they wanted it that way.

And that was what he’d wanted. For as long as he could remember. He didn’t need someone _tolerating_  him and his shitty attitude, so he didn’t want to bother worrying about it.

And then he hit thirty, and some smarmy little shit waltzed into his office looking for a job, and for the first time in the fourteen years since burning off the mark—Levi Ackerman really fucking wished he had _not_  burned off his stupid mark.

* * *

“Jaeger.”

Eren Jaeger flailed in his chair like an idiot, almost falling out of it, but managed to stand at the last second and whip around to look at Levi, a piece of paper sticking to his face.

Jesus, he was a fucking idiot.

Levi loved him so God damn much.

“Sir.” Eren seemed to realize he had a piece of paper stuck to his face and hastily reached up to wrench it off, throwing it aside. It fluttered slowly to the floor a few feet from his desk. “Mr. Ackerman. Sir. Yes. Sorry.”

“Not sleeping well?” Levi asked, moving closer to his subordinate’s desk and looking down at the haphazard array of paperwork laid out across it. It wasn’t the first time this week that he’d caught him passed out and drooling at his desk. The last report he’d gotten was still wet when it had been dropped off.

He’d tried really hard not to think about it when he’d set the folder down near the edge of his desk to dry.

“Sorry sir,” Eren muttered, rubbing at his face with both hands. “My sister’s getting married to my best friend this weekend, and I’m just—getting it from both sides.”

“I understand,” Levi said, knowing all too well what that was like. “Your sister is fretting about wether or not they chose the right flowers, and your friend is worrying about whether or not he’s ready for marriage.”

Eren winced. “Actually—my best friend is the one fretting about the flowers. Thinks tulips was a bad call, too pompous. My sister’s freaking out that she actually agreed to marry him and keeps asking me to help stage her murder.”

Levi stared at him, finding that to be a surprise. Eren laughed awkwardly, shrugged, and scratched the back of his head. He looked exhausted, and ready to drop dead. Levi didn’t know having him stick around was a good idea, at this point. He was liable to make mistakes.

“You should head home. Get some rest.”

“Trust me, I get more rest here,” Eren muttered, then his eyes widened, as if realizing what he’d just said, and he flailed his arms. “I don’t mean because I sleep more here! I just mean that it’s more relaxing here than dealing with the craziness of the wedding!”

The older man stared at him, then looked around at the chaos of the floor, where people were racing back and forth with paperwork and reports while others tried to find empty offices to have last minute meetings. He looked back at Eren, who laughed nervously, as if conceding his point.

Levi didn’t push, though. If Eren wanted to stick around, he was more than happy to have him there. He was just worried about him. Eren worked exceptionally hard; he was the best executive assistant Levi had ever had, and it wasn’t only because he loved him.

That was the annoyingly sad thing. Levi _knew_  that he loved Eren, and he wanted nothing more than to order him into his office and have his way with him, but he couldn’t. Because that wouldn’t be right, or fair.

Besides, it would be an abuse of power, and the last thing he needed was Eren quitting for sexual assault. Then Levi wouldn’t be able to stare at his ass when Eren filed paperwork at the end of the day.

He always bent at the waist. Levi didn’t know why he did it that way, but he loved it. Eren never bent down, he just bent at the waist, and it was the most wonderful two minutes of every weekday.

“Eren!”

Locking away any fondness—or attraction—he had for Eren, Levi’s features hardened when the bane of his existence came prancing across the floor.

Literally prancing. That wasn’t a word being used for descriptive text. The moron was literally fucking _prancing_  across the damn floor towards them.

“Hey Hanji!” Eren looked like someone had just shot him full of happy juice, excitement lighting up his face. “What have you found?”

“Well, I don’t want to say I’m a miracle-worker, but I’m a miracle-worker.” Hanji shoved Eren’s work aside, ignored Levi as if he weren’t even there, and spread out a bunch of pictures on the desk.

Levi always hated this part of his day. It always made his chest ache, heart clenching tightly.

He rued the day he’d introduced Hanji Zoe to Eren. It was the day this entire horrible mess had started.

Hanji was what people called a Cupid. A stupid name, but Hanji often looked like a fat baby so he supposed it worked for them. The point of a Cupid was to search for soulmates. It was one of the largest government-funded independently owned services the world had to offer. Anyone with a knack for finding the obscure could become a Cupid, and their sole purpose was to get clients and find those sad and pathetic clients’ soulmates. A useless, stupid job when one considered that a majority of the planet found their soulmates all on their own, or used the Marks Bureau to just look them up, but sad, depressed people needed all the help they could get.

Hanji had taken a liking to Eren immediately and had offered to find his soulmate for free. The first time he’d overheard them talking about it, he’d snapped that Eren was sad and pathetic in a fit of jealousy that was very unlike him, and had spent the rest of the day wondering why Eren looked so depressed.

It wasn’t until later while having a drink with Hanji that he found out one of Eren’s childhood friends had gone insane when their marks had appeared and realized Eren’s and hers didn’t match. She’d forcibly removed the mark from Eren’s arm with a knife, leaving behind a large, jagged scar.

Eren remembered what it looked like, but he was a horrendous artist and the marks were virtually impossible to describe, so Hanji had taken on the challenge of trying to locate his soulmate by luck alone.

Every day, they came by with a stack of pictures, showed them all to Eren, and waited for the day he would finally exclaim that it was a match.

And every day, Levi secretly prayed to every deity that existed that Eren would _never_  find his mark on any of those pictures.

For a few tense seconds, Levi waited, watching Eren slowly flip through the photos. He stopped every now and then to squint and turn the pictures upside down, but eventually he got to the last one and Levi was able to relax at the disappointed sag of the other’s shoulders.

“Thanks Hanji, but it’s not here.”

“Curses!” Hanji shook one angry fist towards the heavens. “Despair not, my little brownie-cake! I shall find you your soulmate if it kills me!”

“Can it kill you _before_  you find it?” Levi asked dryly, both serious and sarcastic at the same time.

“Rude!” Hanji said without even looking at him, rushing back the way they’d come, a new determined set to their shoulders.

They both watched them leave, Eren disappointed, Levi relieved.

Before Hanji disappeared entirely, Eren’s cell phone dinged and he picked it up, wincing down at the message.

“Jean can’t fit into his tux. I _told_  him he was eating too many Cheetos,” Eren said with a sigh, turning to Levi and wincing. “About heading home...”

“Go. Take some time. Good luck with the wedding.”

“Thanks.” Eren grinned. “Best man. Jean and Mikasa had to fight for which side of the aisle I’d be on, but Jean won because I look terrible in a dress.”

Levi disagreed, Eren looked particularly lovely in a dress in his imagination, but he just stared at Eren like he was an idiot until the other got uncomfortable enough to pack away his things and get ready to leave. He was heading for the exit when he paused and turned back.

“Sir?”

“Mm?” Levi asked idly, mind still on Eren in a dress. He’d look amazing in stockings. Lacey thong, garter, the works.

“I don’t have anyone to bring, so my RSVP is still free. Jean planned for over two hundred people, and only half are even coming. Are you—would you like to come?”

Levi stared at him. “To your sister and best friend’s wedding?”

Eren looked like he was regretting asking, but nodded.

Considering, the older man nodded slowly, realizing he’d get a chance to see Eren in a nice suit _and_  interrogate people about his past. The more he knew about him, the better, in his opinion.

* * *

Eren looked _amazing_  in a suit. Levi thought he’d look better _out_  of it, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, so he settled with enjoying the way the shirt stuck to his chest, leaving nothing to the imagination. Thank God for rain, because it was making the shirt stick in all the best places.

Levi understood halfway through the ceremony what Eren had been saying about his friend. He was the one most upset that it was raining, ruining their outdoor wedding, and halfway through the vows, the commissioner of oaths had to pause because Jean was sobbing so much he couldn’t get the words out. Mikasa just stood there holding his hands and staring at the ceiling.

Levi could practically _hear_  her thoughts of, “What the fuck am I doing marrying this moron?”

At least it was entertaining to watch, and Levi was secretly pleased when the bridesmaid walking out with Eren tripped over her own feet because it caused him to clench his arm to keep her standing, giving him a nice view of those perfect biceps.

His speech could’ve been better, but Levi didn’t know the bride or the groom, and they both seemed to enjoy it. Jean started crying again, and Mikasa beamed at him when he went to sit down, kissing his cheek, whispering something in his ear, and then hugging him tightly.

After a few speeches, none of which Levi paid attention to, there was a slideshow the bride and groom had made for their wedding party as a thank you.

Levi felt like that was exceptionally cheap and they should’ve gotten money, but Eren seemed to like it. He was beaming the whole time, and more than once, he’d burst into laughter and he and Jean started a pretend fight at the head table, pulling one another into headlocks and punching each other in the stomach lightly.

Watching them made Levi feel sick to his stomach, because he was jealous of how close Eren and the groom were. They were obviously close friends, and as much as he didn’t believe in all this soulmate shit, seeing the way the bride and groom looked at one another, and the sheer envy on Eren’s face when they didn’t notice him looking...

Levi wished he knew what Eren’s mark looked like. He wished he could help him find his soulmate, even if it wasn’t him. He wanted Eren to be happy, and as much as it would suck for him to be happy with someone else, at least Levi would get to see him smile.

Once the food was served, it was absolute chaos in the hall. Most of the people ran for the buffet, and when the music started, everyone began to munch and mingle. Levi, being someone who was only there for Eren, was left sitting alone at his table.

Alone, until Eren appeared, holding a plate, a glass of wine, and sporting rather rosy cheeks.

“Someone’s been overindulging,” Levi said when Eren took a seat beside him, setting his food and drink down and picking up a stray fork to dig into his meal.

“I just lost my best friend and sister at the same time, I am _so_  allowed to get hammered,” he said, words a little slurred, but not enough to be considered completely inebriated. “‘Sides, drinks are free for the wedding party.”

“That tends to be about right,” Levi said, watching him for a moment. Realizing it was weird to watch Eren chew his dinner, he began to survey the crowd instead, watching people make idiots of themselves, grinding together like they were at a club instead of in a respectable hotel’s ballroom.

“You like the ceremony?” Eren asked, digging his fork into his mashed potatoes and stuffing an impressively large bite into his mouth.

“It was nice,” Levi admitted. “I understand what you mean about your friend, now.”

“I can’t believe he cried!” Eren exclaimed, then began to laugh, which promptly had him choking and chugging his wine to save himself.

Levi just watched him, exasperated and confused. Such a moron, but so endearing. He literally could not help but love this little shit, and he wanted to take him to the coat check and do unspeakable things to him.

Sometimes he had to wonder if Eren could read minds, or maybe even just his lecherous expressions, because Levi was in the middle of a rather graphic fantasy when Eren gave him a weird look and scooted his chair away just a smidge. Levi didn’t bother taking offense and turned away while Eren continued to eat.

They made idle chit chat while sitting at the table together, Levi mostly asking questions about Eren’s childhood with the bride and groom. Turning it around to the newly hitched couple made it easier to ask questions without being obvious. Eren seemed happy enough to answer them, so that was a win.

Around eight—and exactly five glasses of wine later—Eren interrupted Levi mid-sentence to shout that he wanted to dance and had immediately grabbed his hand. He threw off his suit jacket, the sleeve landing on someone’s discarded plate, and wrenched Levi out of his chair and onto the dancefloor in the middle of the room.

The grinding, which Levi had been scoffing at earlier in the evening, was now thoroughly appreciated because Eren was so very drunk and was practically rubbing himself almost obscenely against him. Normally Levi would hate it, but this was Eren, and he would take what he could get.

So he tucked his index fingers into Eren’s beltloops and tugged him closer, rocking their hips together and leaning forward so he could bite and suck along Eren’s neck.

The brunet groaned, one hand buried in Levi’s hair and the other up beneath his jacket, dragging blunt nails along the back of Levi’s shirt.

It was crazy. Levi _never_  did shit like this. But Eren... fuck, he couldn’t get enough of him. And when would he ever have the chance to do this again? He was pleasantly buzzed, having indulged in a glass or two of wine himself, and Eren was rocking against him like his life depended on it. Levi wasn’t one to look a gifthorse in the mouth, he was going to ride this pony all the way home.

The song changed, but Eren didn’t pull away, so Levi didn’t, either. They rocked their hips together, Levi biting a hickey into Eren’s neck, eliciting a hiss from the younger man. It was while he was in the process of trying to get a blood sample that the hand in his hair tightened and wrenched his head back.

Eren’s lips were on his. The kiss was sloppy, his inexperience showing, but Levi just brought one hand up to cup his cheek and took the lead, coaxing Eren’s tongue back into his own mouth and showing him how it was done. The other’s hips stilled then, and Levi was painfully aware of how hard Eren was.

Not that he wasn’t himself, but it felt so good to know he was affecting him this much. That Eren wanted him, on some level, even if he didn’t admit it to himself. Yes, it sucked that he was kind of drunk, but again: Levi would take what he could get.

When they broke apart, Eren grabbed his hand and turned on his heel, yanking him along through the crowd of people. He side-stepped the groom, who had his arms wide open and was shouting his name excitedly. The man didn’t seem to mind, because he just scoffed and rolled his eyes when Levi was dragged past him.

Surprisingly, they went to the coat check, which had Levi’s heart beating double-time in his chest, because his brain went back to all the fantasies he’d just been having during dinner. Sadly, he highly doubted he’d find a riding crop in the coat check and, honestly, he didn’t know that he’d have been particularly into that but the fantasy was fun.

Eren shoved him back against a wall and kissed him again, this one much better than the first poor attempt. Levi fisted the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, sucking lewdly on his tongue. The experience wasn’t romantic at all. There were no soft touches, and slow explorations of each other’s bodies.

This was hot, and primal, and almost desperate. Levi wanted to get as much as he could, and Eren... Levi didn’t know what Eren’s deal was, but he seemed almost more desperate than him.

The older man’s hands loosened in the shirt, but only so nimble fingers could unbutton it quickly, forcing it off Eren’s shoulders and struggling to keep their lips connected while taking it off. Eren flailed his arms backwards to help, the item finally falling to the ground and allowing him to bring his hands back to Levi’s face, cupping his cheeks.

Levi explored Eren’s skin, sliding up beneath the wifebeater he had on beneath his dress shirt and dragging blunt nails across his stomach. Eren’s own hands had left his face and were tugging at Levi’s shirt to untuck it from his pants, beginning to work on getting it off.

While he was doing that, pale hands moved down to Eren’s belt, beginning to unbuckle it urgently.

Levi was suddenly kissing air, and the belt that had been in his hands moments before was gone, Eren having lurched away from him, breathing hard and rubbing at his face.

“Shit, no. _No_! Fuck!”

“What’s wrong?” Levi demanded with a scowl, breathing faster than normal.

“I can’t do this, I can’t, I—” Eren looked miserable when he finally let his hands fall from his face. “I like you. A lot. A _lot_. But I just—my soulmate. I can’t... _do_  this with you. If I go too far, I feel... I’m sorry. I just—I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. I want this to be real.”

“It _is_  real!” Levi got right in his face. “Eren, I want you. I have wanted you since the first day you walked into my office. Who cares about your soulmate?” He let his hand fall against the scar on Eren’s arm, the skin burning beneath his palm. “You’ll never find them without a mark. Why waste your time? We both want this, so why not go with it?”

“And then what?” Eren asked quietly. “You find your soulmate later and leave me? Or I find mine and leave you?”

Levi’s jaw clenched, eyes hardening at the words. He’d never leave Eren for a soulmate. Never.

He didn’t believe in that fate bullshit, he knew he loved Eren because it was what _he_  wanted. Not because of what some stupid mark on his arm said.

“Levi, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

They stood in silence for a long moment, Levi’s hand still pressed against the scar on Eren’s arm. It took a considerable amount of effort, but he finally managed to pull his hand off and take a step back. Clenching his jaw, he made quick work of tucking his shirt back in and smoothed out his hair.

“I should go.”

Eren opened his mouth, like he was going to say something, but then seemed to think better of it and shut it once more, nodding slowly.

Turning to find his coat, Levi draped it over his arm. “See you on Monday.” He turned and strode out of the coat check, heart heavy and anger boiling in his stomach.

He didn’t blame Eren for this, of course not. It wasn’t his fault he was worried Levi would leave him if he found his soulmate, and it wasn’t his fault he wanted to be faithful to the one he was meant to be with.

But Levi _hated_  this. This stupid fucking existence they lived in where no one had a choice in who they could be with, because that was decided for you. Nobody could be happy with just finding the one meant for them on their own, it had to be pre-determined for them at the age of fucking thirteen.

Levi didn’t often think back on the day he’d burned the mark off his arm, but in that moment, climbing into his car and peeling out of the garage, he thought about it more than ever, hating the stupid thing and wishing he’d burned the whole damn thing off.

Maybe he should finish what he’d started at sixteen when he got home.

* * *

In the end, Levi did not, in fact, mutilate himself upon his arrival home. He instead drank some really expensive whiskey and sat watching the Food Network until he passed out on the couch. Sunday had been an enjoyable day of working through his hangover, trying to get himself back under control for work on Monday.

When it finally came, he had mixed feelings about seeing Eren, which turned out not to be a problem because the other called in sick on Monday.

And Tuesday.

_And_  Wednesday.

Levi wasn’t sure, but he was _fairly_  certain Eren was avoiding him.

And by “fairly certain,” he really meant “completely fucking positive.”

The spineless little shit was avoiding him, and Levi was determined to call and fire him if he didn’t show up on Thursday which was why, of course, the heavens decided to grace Levi with Eren’s presence. He kept his head down, shoulders hunched while Levi passed him to enter his office, and while he wanted to be angry with him, he couldn’t find the energy. He understood what Eren was feeling, even if he disagreed with it. Not everyone was like him, hating the whole soulmates thing, and he could appreciate where Eren was coming from.

Again, he didn’t agree with it, but he loved him enough to respect it.

Stupid fucking emotions. Making him feel feelings!

The only interactions they had that day related to work, and by the time Levi went home, Eren seemed to have relaxed around him.

When morning came on Friday, Eren was almost back to normal, like their makeout session in the coat check hadn’t even happened. At least Levi could have wet dreams about it and jerk off in the shower to the memory of Eren’s moans.

Which he did. Frequently. Almost an unhealthy amount, if he was honest.

It was almost three in the afternoon on that same Friday that he looked up to find Hanji nearing Eren’s desk. It was odd, because they were very subdued today, and when they handed Eren a picture, they just shook their head and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Eren’s entire frame sagged, and even from behind, Levi could see how upset he was.

Knowing he was going to regret it, Levi stood from his chair and moved out of his office, coming up behind Eren who was tucking the picture away in one of his notebooks.

“What’s going on? No prospective soulmates today?” Levi asked, tone borderline rude.

“Unfortunately not,” Hanji said with a sad sigh. “Eren showed me a picture of his mark and if his soulmate is still alive, they never registered themselves with the Marks Bureau, so it’s going to take me an eternity to find them.”

Levi frowned. “Wait, I thought you didn’t have any pictures of your mark,” Levi insisted, turning to Eren, confused.

“I didn’t.” He sighed, sounding like a love-sick puppy. Dammit, it was adorable, and Levi hated that he thought so. “Annie cut it off before I could get it registered, but Jean found some pictures from my birthday when we went out camping and I got the mark on my arm. He came across them when he was trying to find good ones for the slideshow and knew I’d want it. It’s the only picture I have of my mark, and I didn’t even know about it until Saturday.”

“He gave it to me yesterday after work, but so far, no luck.” Hanji looked truly sorry, like they wished they could offer him better news.

“Can I see it?” Levi asked, not knowing why he cared, but figuring he might as well see if any of his single friends had the same one. He’d murder them and hate them forever, but he wanted Eren to be happy, so he’d suffer if he had to.

“Sure,” Eren muttered, pulling the picture out and handing it to Levi.

It was small, and a little difficult to see, but when Levi brought the picture closer to his face, he felt like his brain had just shut down. He blinked once, positive he was seeing things, and then squinted, as if that would help.

That mark looked suspiciously familiar.

He pulled the photo away, trying to see it from another angle, and ignored the confused look he was getting from the other two.

“Is your birthday March 30th?” Levi asked, distinctly remembering the date of the mark appearing on his arm.

“Yeah, why?” Eren asked slowly.

“You’re twenty-seven, right? Three years younger than me?”

“Yeah...” The brunet still sounded confused.

Levi kept staring at the picture. No way his luck was _that_  good.

“That’s impossible,” he finally said.

_That_  got Eren’s attention.

“What’s impossible?” he perked up instantly. “Do you know who has it? Oh my God! Levi! Do you know who my soulmate is?!”

Levi didn’t answer. He dropped the picture on the desk and immediately shrugged off his suit jacket, letting it hit the floor. Eren let out a squawk of shock and hastily bent to retrieve it before it got wrinkled, but Levi didn’t stop there.

Wrenched his tie free, he threw it to the ground and hastily unbuttoned his shirt. He tore one clean off, but couldn’t find it in himself to care, heart slamming against his ribs while he ripped it off his body. He stood in his undershirt, a part of his brain enjoying the look of startled pleasure on Eren’s face at the unexpected show, and hastily picked the photo back up, turning it slightly and putting it against the half-burned mark on his arm.

It was difficult to tell from the angle he was looking at it from, the unblemished portion of the mark being further away from his face, but Hanji had practically hurdled over Eren’s desk, grabbing at his arm with one hand and pulling the picture free with the other, staring back and forth between the picture and his half-destroyed mark.

Eren was beside Hanji instantly, eyes wide and staring.

“It’s you,” Hanji finally said after a long, tense silence. “This bottom portion is exactly the same, and everyone knows no two marks are alike, even as little as this.” They beamed at Levi. “You’re Eren’s soulmate!”

There was a long silence after this proclamation, during which Eren looked pleased but also horrified, as if remembering all the things he’d said to Levi in the coat check on Saturday. Levi himself could barely hear himself think over the party that was happening in his head.

His entire life, he’d hated the soulmates marks, and now here he stood, across from Eren Jaeger, who he had been in love with the _moment_  the other had stepped into his office.

Eren was his soulmate.

Holy shit, _Eren_  was his _soulmate_!

Levi grabbed at Eren’s shirt and yanked him forcefully towards his office, ignoring the startled yelp that escaped him at the action. Pulling him into the room, he immediately turned to slam the office door in Hanji’s jubilant face, lock it, and closed the blinds.

When he turned to look at Eren, the other looked partway between elation and shock. Levi hadn’t even known it was possible for someone to look both elated and shocked at the same time.

“Holy shit,” Eren said quietly. “Holy shit, I can’t...”

Levi strode up to him, Eren shuffling backwards until he hit the desk. Levi braced himself against it, hands on either side of the other’s body.

“I hate the soulmates mark. I hate that some higher being chose who I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I hate that people use it as an excuse to trap others in a relationship they might not want.” He scowled. “What I _don’t_  hate, is that I love you. And you love me. And that we had these feelings without the influence of the marks at all. You are everything I ever wanted, Eren Jaeger, and this time, you can’t escape from me with your words.”

Eren stared at him for a long moment, Levi’s heart slamming in his chest and uncertainty rising in his throat.

Then, Eren grinned, leaned back more cockily against the desk, and let his eyes slowly slide down to Levi’s lips before he licked his own.

“I think I can handle being stuck with you, sir. After all, I can’t say I was completely innocent when I invited you to my sister and best friend’s wedding.”

“Don’t call me sir,” Levi ordered, then leaned in to kiss him.

Levi was not going to be able to do anything for the rest of the day.

Except Eren. Man, was he _ever_  going to fucking do Eren.

Maybe this whole soulmates thing wasn’t so bad after all.

**END.**

**Author's Note:**

> I stayed up way too late doing this. God I'm tired. Worth it.
> 
> Keyvvi ilubb <3 Happy Birthday.


End file.
